The Four-Tusked Elephant

                                      The Four-Tusked Elephant                                    

Armand Denis, Belgium (1896-1971)

b. Write the four levels of meanings to the text "The Four-Tusked Elephant".

Literal Comprehension: Belgian writer and scientist Armand Denishas written this story "The Four-Tusked Elephant" while the writer was in Africa, Putnam and Texan were with him. He heard about the four-tusked elephant. Then the writer asked with pigmies, the inhabitants of Iturbi forest and got answer that they had seen it directly. They claimed that it was certain to exist. After that the writer made the determination to find the Four- Tusked Elephant that could talk in human voice and could see that other elephants could not. Giving tobacco as gift and taking three young men the writer walked for four days. They saw a group of elephants but they were with two tusks. That made writer to take the Four-Tusked elephant as a myth.

Once the writer was in Butembo Hotel for other business. Four local Begian settlers were talking about the elephant having four tusks. The writer got contact the person who would sell tusks without paying tax secretly. When he met Xantos who informed the writer that tusks was sent to the warehouse at Abba. The writer found Mombeli had sold the tusk. Writer made condition to meet head of the elephant with Mombeli offering him wristwatch, light and oil lantern. After that the writer didn't get any news about Mombeli's where about. Luckily the writer got the head (skull) of elephant and wrote a letter to his parents to buy the tusks because the tusks were taken to Central Office Antwerp. Getting too much difficulties Denis brought the head (skull) to home, Belgium. But the tusks were already sent to New York Museum of National History. In New York Museum of National History the writer fit the tusks into holes of skull one after another and they perfectly fitted. Though the writer had solved the mystery of four -tusked elephant still whether it could talk in human voice was in doubt. That was not scientifically proved.

Interpretation: The story "The Four-Tusked Elephant" is not only a story of scientific discovery; it is a scientific process of finding the truth. Scientific experimentation is not a simple process rather it starts with hypothesis and proceeds with observation and experimentation and lastly draws a reasonable (logical) conclusion. It might also be trying to say that sometimes chance or co-incidence plays an important role to make heard a discovery. The writer was in the hotel and heard a talk about four-tusked elephant that led him to find this discovery. Still another possible interpretation of the story might be the result of hard work. Which is always good .We should keep on doing practice one day, sooner or later, we will reach to our goal. We should always be optimistic in doing difficult and sometimes impossible bobs as well.

Critical Thinking: This scientific story has easily drawn the attention of any reader. It has written so systematically that we can't stop without coming to the end. It has surpassed the lesson that only dedicated, hardworking and punctual at work people can meet their goals sooner or later, still we can be disagreeing with some of the non-convincing ideas presented here. Can an elephant speak in human voice? Does anyone do such risky job for getting that proof? Still the process of scientific investigation is not less convincing one.

Assimilation: I got stuck very much with the ideas presented in the story. It taught me to be ever optimistic and use personal logic and full dedication on our work. We should never be discouraged and back warded in getting difficulties on the process of work. In the quest of mission one should not be tired by any cost. If so, the success is sure to be in the hand.

c. Scientists often test the accuracy of a hypothesis or an educated guess. What was Denis's hypothesis in "The Four-Tusked Elephant?"

Scientists often work with accuracy and deal with educated guess. Here Denis's first hypothesis was that whether the four-tusked elephant really existed that could talk in human voice. But unlike common people the scientist Denis didn't stop here rather wanted to prove what was the reality. He contacted many local inhabitants, pigmies who claimed that they had seen the four-tusked elephant many times. Westerners also believed its existence. Denis himself wanted to observe whether the elephant existed or not. With much hardship, he reached to the place where the four- tusked elephant was supposed to be found. He only saw elephants with two tusks. Then he concluded that it was myth.

But later when he was in Butembo Hotel, he heard four Belgians talking about an African who had claimed that the four-tusks he was stilling was from dead elephant. Then, Denis went to the seller to buy the tusks but they were already taken for providing him the four tusks. He contacted Mumbeli to provide him the skull. Lastly when Denis got the skull he brought it to Belgium. The tusks were carried to Beutral skull's holes. He proved that the four-tusk elephant really existed it was not a myth but a reality. This all process shows that scientists always test the accuracy of a hypothesis and work with educated guess. They never take things for granted. This difficult work of Denis shows how scientists work accuracy, perfect experimentation, and analysis and finally draw a reliable conclusion based on educated guess.